The Today Show had a short piece on SAT test prep provided by the Princeton Review. It is an example of the “business logic” commercial vendors bring to education. It is also the kind of thing those of us who see potential value in online content and services hate because it exemplifies the motives of some online content providers.
The report focused on the variable pricing model applied by the provider. The logic of an online provider charging different rates to students in different parts of the country would not occur to those of us who practice education. The cost of providing online access would be the same – why charge different amounts for the content. The logic that was defended was that the cost of a face to face local provider of the same service would be different in different parts of the country – why shouldn’t the cost of online access be adjusted accordingly.
This link will provide access to the Today report (as provided by the Huffington post). A direct link was not available.